Trust Is
by Casy Dee
Summary: Connor faces losing all that he's worked for if he can't wake up and set things right. Trust is a fragile thing... will he lose it or be lost himself? Set season 5. Story complete!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This is a Secret Santa fic, written for the ConnorandAbby Live Journal community Christmas exchange. I hope you enjoy! This is set in Season 5, *spoilers* after Abby is busted breaking into Connor's lab.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 1<strong>

Connor opened the door to the flat cautiously, not sure of his welcome. He loved that Abby was his girlfriend. Since the day he'd first laid eyes on her, that was all he'd wanted. At first, it was just that she thought she was a stunner. Beautiful girl, great body, and bonus… she knew about anomalies and she was nicer to him than any other girl he'd tried to chat up. Usually once he opened his mouth, they lost interest. He had a talent for saying exactly the wrong thing. Abby was different. Well, perhaps not _so_ different. He'd not been able to say the right things to her today. He wondered if she ever regretted meeting him. Her life would have been simpler.

He'd forced his way into her life, and like a stray dog, she'd let him stick around. At some point, she'd accepted him as a friend. She shared movie nights and pizza with him, but that was where she drew the line. There _was_ a line. That much he knew for certain. He knew she didn't feel the same. She'd said so often enough, even though sometimes she looked at him as if she just _perhaps, maybe_ felt a little bit for him more than simple friendship. So he held onto hope, and for him it was enough to just be around her. He'd spent years trying to suss out a way past that wall she had around herself, and he'd finally managed it, thanks to a side trip to the Cretaceous. It was hard for him to regret it too much.

Now they were back home, and together, and he was back at the ARC again and working with his idol, Philip Burton. He should have all he ever wanted. He should be happy, but Abby… she didn't get it. She didn't understand what he was trying to do, how important his work was. She hated Philip, and he didn't know what to do about it. The row they'd had today, well, it was a bad one. He'd asked her to trust him. She'd refused. It had hurt that she'd just looked at him as if he was a naïve child when he tried to explain it. He'd thought that she respected him enough to at least listen to him… believe in him. It was too much time apart, he reflected. They'd not had the time to just _talk_ anymore.

Connor had so much he wanted to tell her. If she could just understand what he was trying to do, he'd probably not have come home to an empty flat. She'd likely assumed he'd be working late again and gone out to do some last minute shopping or something. It didn't hardly feel like the holidays with the way he'd been working. Tomorrow, he'd be able to show Philip the anomaly creation machine, and then soon after, they'd all get some much needed days off.

Connor smiled as he looked down at the small box in his hand. He and Abby had something special though. He knew she'd get over it soon enough. Abby had a fierce temper, but she'd not stay angry for long. All she needed was for some time to cool off. Meanwhile, he'd bought something… well it was a big something, and he hoped that the gift along with a little time together through the holidays would help repair the damage done to their relationship. Since she was out, he could take the opportunity to find a hiding place secret enough to keep her from finding it.

They'd gotten used to sharing space to the point where they no longer had much his and hers, so it sounded like an easier task than it actually was. He finally settled on underneath the mattress. There was no reason for her to look there. He lifted the corner to slide the small box between the mattress and box spring. When her journal fell out, he wasn't sure which surprised him more, the fact that it fell out whilst he was hiding her gift, or the fact that she felt she needed to hide it from him. It seemed she'd been hiding a lot from him lately. He'd bought her the journal to replace the one that had fallen into the fire in the Cretaceous. He'd never seen her use it, so he imagined he'd made a bad gift of it. The pages were full. Well, that was _something. _

It had fallen open, a rough sketch of him on one side of the page and Abby's writing on the other. He'd never invade her privacy; it just wasn't right. He fully intended to close the journal and put it back where he found it, when the phrase, _I need to just tell him I'm finished with him_, caught his eye. Once he saw it, he couldn't look away.

He didn't want to read it, and he knew he should stop, but he couldn't help it.

_I don't want to let him go, but I have to. He's not good for me. I should have never let him stay with me in the flat in the first place. I should have turned him away. Told him to grow up and find his own place to stay._

Connor flinched, tears rising in his eyes and blurring his vision. They were in a worse state than he thought. He figured they'd get through this once she saw that he was trying to do something so incredible… save so many lives, solve the world's energy problems!If that didn't make her proud of him, he didn't know what _could. _He swallowed hard and read on. He needed to know the truth of how she really felt.

_I always thought that together, him and me, we could take on anything. As long as we had each other, we could face anything and our first loyalty should _always_ be to each other. I can see now that I was wrong. I might have felt that way, but he never did. I'm not as important to him as he is to me. It hurts, but _it is just how it is_. All that we have been through, all that time when it was just us, it meant nothing to him. I've been an idiot to not see that._

Connor shook his head violently, "No, Abby. You've got it all wrong. I'm doin' all this to make things better. It don't mean nothin' if I'm without ya."

He closed the journal. It was the most recent entry. Abby was going to be home any minute, and he didn't quite know how he was going to face her. He had to sort himself out first. Figure out what he needed to say to make her understand that he loved her more than anything, and he'd do whatever it took to hold on to her. He passed a hand over his face and let out a deep sigh. Not back to his lab. Abby would find him there. He couldn't stomach going to Cutter's grave, not the way he was feeling. There was only one place he could think of to go.

The Forest of Dean hadn't changed much in the past few years, but it had been so long since he'd gone there that he wasn't sure he could find the proper spot again. He was certainly more confident moving about in the woods than he had been years before. He dodged branches and skirted thick patches of underbrush, and fairly quickly found himself back to the beginning, where it had all started. It had seemed so exciting at first. Back before he'd lost too many friends and too much of his innocence.

He lost track of time as he sat, back to a tree, and thought. He was a smart guy, but he felt stupid. He could invent machines that could date an anomaly, had developed theories that he knew were beyond many of his professors, hell, he could even tell a joke… but he couldn't hold on to the best thing that had ever happened to him. It wasn't like Abby to hide something like this from him. Why did she not tell him? Connor dropped his head to his knees and let out a soft sigh. _Probably because he'd not listen. She'd tried today, and how well did that work?_

He trusted her instincts. Always had done. She'd been genuinely convinced that it was dangerous to even tell him what she'd suspected. Perhaps he should do a little checking on his own, just so he could put her mind to rest. She'd see that he took her concerns seriously, and that might be enough to get her back. After all, if he got caught, his time at Prospero would be over, anomaly or no anomaly. _Was it worth it? _He thought about life without Abby… couldn't. He couldn't imagine it. It was worth it.

Abby would be wondering where he was, he reflected as he exited the cab. At least, he hoped she'd be wondering where he was. He hoped she still cared enough to wonder. No matter. If he could take care of this, then he could make things right between them. He swiped his key card to enter the main door of New Dawn, Philip's offsite Prospero facility. If there was any information to be had, it would be there. The place was minimally staffed at the best of times. There were more security personnel than anyone else, and they wouldn't question him. He was often found working far too late at night. The true danger would be in Philip realizing he'd been in his files. He'd be using his pass key to get into the building, and it would be a simple matter to connect the time that the files were accessed with the time that Connor Temple was in the building.

In short order, he'd hacked into Philip's files; they were hardly protected. He couldn't help but smirk as he did it. Connor was _good, _but part of it had to be that Philip believed New Dawn was safe. No one would dare to pry.

"No one but me," he murmured.

He choked as he dug deeper and saw Helen Cutter on the screen, saw her words to Philip, saw the scope of his plans. According to his data, convergence would happen, just as Connor predicted, and he'd not planned to do a thing to mitigate the danger. People would die, because he was more concerned with getting his machine to work than saving lives. People would die, and it was written as a _footnote. _Abby _had_ been right. He was following Helen's orders. Connor had never been so furious in his life. He'd been used. He had to stop this. His fingers flew over the keyboard as he made his way through the system, looking for weaknesses. Prospero was not built upon his system, but that actually made it easier for him. He knew what he needed to do, as much as it pained him to do it.

TBC

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><p><strong>AN: Happy Holidays all! How about giving the gift of a review? I'd love to hear what you thought…**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

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><p>His anger sustained him as he made his way out of the facility and halfway back home before guilt and regret washed it away. He'd not blame Abby if she was through with him. Even after he admitted he'd been an idiot, and he should have listened to her. Should have trusted <em>her, <em>notPhilip,just like she said in her journal. They were supposed to stand together. They did things together, or not at all.

He was hit with an uncomfortable feeling of déjà vu as once again, he was stood outside the door to their flat, scared to open the door. He still couldn't help but think that she'd only ended up with him because he'd been the only man on earth. A part of him expected her to wake up any moment and realize she'd made a mistake. His recent behavior had done much to ensure the likelihood of that scenario. He inhaled deeply and then set his jaw. Rolling in at three in the morning wouldn't help matters, but he'd take what he had coming. He deserved it.

"Abby?"

For a horrible long moment, he thought she'd be gone. Moved house without bothering to tell him or say goodbye.

"Connor? Working late again?" Abby murmured as she came out of the dark bedroom. Her eyes hardened as they cleared and focused upon him, "Thought you'd be staying the night at Prospero. Why'd you bother coming home?"

"Listen, Abby. I know ya never truly intended to be with me," She was giving him that _look. _The one that said, _you're an idiot, Connor._ He plowed on ahead before she could stop him from saying what he had to, "and I know you're really angry with me right now… but I need to tell ya something important."

Her brows drew together, "What is it?"

"About Philip," he winced internally as he saw her lips thin at the mere mention of his name, "you were right."

"What?" she moved closer to him, almost reached out for his hand before dropping it to her side again.

He saw it and grabbed her hand anyway. He wanted to touch her, he hoped not for the last time, "I trust your instincts Abby, but I didn't want to believe that Philip was a bad man. I didn't want to listen, and I'm sorry."

She nodded, "It's okay, Connor. What did you see?"

"You were so convinced he was hiding something, so I broke into his files to have a look. He _was_ involved with Helen, and he gives not a damn about the people that are going to die as a result of his quest to be the next savior of humanity. He really believes that it is okay if hundreds of people die, because he'll save millions… and I helped him! I _helped _Helen! I can't be—"

"He's got to be stopped," Abby interrupted.

Connor drew in a deep breath and nodded. He couldn't look her in the face, but he had to ask, "Is it too late for us, Abby? I know you regret—"

"Connor, I don't. We've been over this."

Connor dropped her hand and turned away, "Please don't lie to me Abby. I'm sick of people lying to me."

"What are you on about Connor. Look at me."

"Your journal. I was hiding your Christmas present, and it fell out. I'd not intended to read it, but it fell open, and I saw what you wrote… about it being a mistake to let me ever stay with you in the flat, and how—"

Abby's lips twitched up into a small smile, "Connor, stop talking." He nodded, but his mouth opened again so she placed her finger over his lips to forestall him, "I was writing about Jack. I spoke with him today, and… it didn't go well."

"But, the sketch…" he countered, despite the finger on his lips.

"Yeah, because I'd let him make you homeless," she dropped her eyes, "and, I feel better when you're near," she took her finger from his lips.

Connor wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, "I thought… I was sure that you were finished with me. I've been such an idiot. I should have _listened _to _you._"

Abby made a noise of agreement, "I don't give up that easily. Not on you. Shut up and kiss me, Connor."

Connor smiled slowly, then pressed his lips to hers. He sighed softly as they broke apart and rested his forehead on hers, "I have really missed that."

Abby smiled again, "Me too." She pulled back to look him in the face, " We'll tell Matt. He'll know what to do."

Connor scrubbed a hand over his face, "You trust Matt?"

Abby nodded, "Yes. Don't you?"

Connor gave a bitter laugh, "My judgment is not the best, Abby."

Abby rested her hand on his cheek, "You're a good man, Connor. You just see the best in people, that's all. It's not a bad thing. It's one of the reasons why… why I love you so much."

Connor grinned. He couldn't help it. Abby said him she loved him, and she wasn't the sort to say it often. If he was facing impending death, perhaps, but not otherwise. "I love you too, Abby. We're good then?"

Abby brushed a kiss over his lips, "Yes." She disengaged from his embrace and started pacing, "Matt's told me some things. He's from the future, Connor. He was sent back here to stop it from happening."

Connor raised his eyebrows, "You believe him?"

She nodded.

After a moment, Connor nodded his acceptance, "I think I've delayed him a little while. I loaded a virus and infected the database. All of the anomaly data, all the research… everything we've collected… it's gone."

She stared at him in shock. He had years of work into the research, "What about at the ARC?"

Connor smirked, "Nothing critical there," he tapped his temple, "but I've got a lot of it right here. Once we sort out what we're going to do about Philip, then I can get back to doing what I'm _meant_ to do with it."

"You will. I know you will."

He wasn't convinced, but he nodded anyway, "Yeah." The smile faded from his face as he realized the difficulty of the task they had before them, "I think we need to find Matt and Becker. Once Philip realizes all his data is gone, we'll need a plan. I think I've covered my tracks, but I was at Prospero, and he'll likely make the connection quickly. I set the virus on a delay, so it won't have occurred at the same time I was in the building, but…"

"But you're in danger," Abby continued.

"Think so, yeah."

"Get your things. We're going _now._"

**TBC**

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><p><strong>AN: Hope you enjoyed this! New chapter is coming soon. I'm just working out the ending. Know what helps? Reviews. :-D Seriously... muse food. Thanks for reading!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Thanks for commenting folks! The second you take means a lot to me, and fuels my creativity and drive to write. Thank you!  
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><p><strong>Chapter 3<strong>

Matt's flat had been their first stop. Once Connor had divulged that he'd been building an anomaly creation machine, and that Philip had been building a giant version to use in project New Dawn, he'd quickly put two and two together and figured out what had caused the chain of events that had put the destruction of their world into motion. Convergence was a natural event, and Philip and Connor's manipulation of the phenomenon, essentially preventing nature from running its course, was the likely trigger. With any luck, they'd interrupted the events that had come to pass in Matt's timeline. They should still have time to save the world. Matt called their team together, figuring they'd need everyone's help to stop Philip Burton.

Once Matt had semi-convinced Lester that he actually was from the future and not clinically mad, Connor began to explain what had them all gathered together in secret in the wee hours of morning.

"So I wiped everything, to include the operating system. He's got nothing left, save for what he might have in a personal computer, and he _never _allows data out of the lab so I think we're safe there. What do we do now?" Connor asked, facing the assembled team.

"And you have no proof?" Lester stated more than asked.

Shamefaced, Connor shook his head in the negative, "Just the bit about Helen that I saved on a jump drive," he shrugged, "Was all I had. Keep one on me keychain."

Lester nodded, "We might be able to make that work. Association with an enemy of the state, a known terrorist and all that. Perhaps along with the fact that he made no mention to the Minister about all the people that would be in danger when convergence occurred, nor made any attempt to help the ARC prepare to face it, it could be the justification we need to halt his operation."

Connor exhaled in relief and studied the faces of his friends and teammates. He had been so sure that they'd abandon him when he told him what he'd done. He'd nearly made the world end because he'd been proper blinkered. He'd forgotten the true purpose of understanding the anomalies, got caught up in basking in Philip's praises, and stopped looking after the important things in life, like Abby. "We'll also have to destroy the machine," he added, "It's only a matter of time before he sorts out how to use it himself. I got it to work, after all."

Becker nodded, "And if the Minister won't listen?" he asked Lester.

Matt lifted his head, "Then I'll stop him, destroy the machine, however I have to. It's why I was sent."

Becker traded a glance with Jess before locking eyes with Matt and giving him an almost imperceptible nod. He'd aid him, no matter what the cost. He understood what Matt was saying, even if the rest of the civilians didn't.

"I'll give you the security codes. You should be able to sabotage it," Connor added.

"Let's hope it doesn't come to that," Lester said, but he didn't object. He was a practical man, and he saw no sense in wasting time on things that may never come to pass, but he also knew the value of a back-up plan. They had to stop Philip, but at the moment, he had more immediate concerns. Connor and Abby both looked dead on their feet. Lester cleared his throat, "Have you two been awake all night?" he asked Connor and Abby.

"Yes," Abby answered, sparing a glance at Connor's puffy dark-circled eyes.

"Well it's only a matter of time until he realizes Connor is to blame. I _always_ assume it's Connor to begin with. Saves time."

Abby raised an eyebrow, not amused.

"Might as well get you two out of sight while I sort this out with the Minister. I've got a place where you'll be safe."

Connor shook his head, "No. I want to help. I need to fix this… it's my fault."

Becker grunted, "Nothing you can do right now. Rest up. We'll get you if we need you, I promise."

Connor looked at his feet and nodded. He didn't enjoy being pushed to the side, but if there was truly little to be done… "Explain it to Philip, okay? He might do the right thing if he understood."

"I don't know that he'll listen, Connor. But I'll try," Matt assured him.

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><p>"Well, this is certainly better that the last place we hid out in, but not by much. Cleaner, anyway," Connor said, setting his bag on the floor.<p>

"It'll do, Connor. We'll not be here long. As long as we've got a bed it's fine."

He gave her a small smile, "You're still sure you want to share it with me?"

She rolled her eyes, "Connor…"

"It did seem as if you were writing about me, Abby. Talking about how all we'd faced—"

Abby sighed, "Me and Jack… we had a rough life in foster care, and I spent my whole life looking after him. I just sort of expect that he'd bother to ring me when something important happened to him. He got married, Connor. To a stripper. He'd 'forgotten' to tell me. Oh, and he cancelled coming round on Christmas. They're going to Brazil. _And _he asked to borrow money for the trip. Was the only reason he rang me at all. Never mind that I've not seen him for nearly two years. I just never realized what an idiot prat of a brother I had until then. I'm sick to death of letting him hurt me. I love him, but until he grows up some, I'm done with him. I'm done fixing his life and trying to be his mum."

Connor opened his arms, "Come 'ere."

Abby laid her head on his chest and put her arms around his waist, "Let's go to bed, Connor."

He pulled away, "I need to give you something first. I was going to wait until Christmas, but I can't think of a better time than now."

Bemused, she gave him a nod, "All right."

Connor dug through his bag and pulled out a small box, "Open it."

Abby's brows drew together and Connor shifted, his stomach bunching in knots awaiting her reaction.

"A key?" she asked.

"It's to a house. Our house. I know you're not ready to get mar… um, well… or don't want… anyway," he stammered, "but I thought it would be nice to have our own place. And if you hate it, we can keep looking. I haven't signed yet; I just got a lease to try it out first. The flat was only meant to be temporary, and it's so small. We're on some land, too. You can go outside if you fancy it without neighbors starin' at ya."

Abby's eyes shone, and he stopped talking, "Oh, god. I've mucked it up again, haven't I?"

She shook her head mutely, "No. It's perfect."

Connor grinned and swept her up again, "Yeah?"

Abby burrowed her fingers into his hair and pulled him close, kissing him so thoroughly that she left him breathless. It was a good answer.

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><p>Connor lay still, staring at the ceiling long after Abby had fallen asleep. His mind hadn't stopped chasing its own tail. Dawn was breaking the horizon, leaking light into the darkened room; it had been hours. Philip wouldn't listen to Matt. He knew that down to his core. Connor needed to speak to him if there was to be any chance of Philip backing down and doing the right thing. If he could just explain how mad Helen was, how she'd stop at nothing to end what she saw as the plague of humans on the earth, he might listen. Philip said he respected Connor's opinion. He supposed it was time to find out if it was true. He slid out of bed, careful not to wake Abby. He made this mess. No sense dragging her into it. Besides, she looked well exhausted. Had for weeks now.<p>

He pulled on his trousers and shirt, scooped up his boots and jacket to take them to the other room.

"Where are you going?"

Connor froze, then turned to face Abby, "Philip will listen to me. I need to try. I need to explain things. He won't hurt me. I don't think I'm in danger, to be honest."

Abby shook her head, "I think you are. You know things."

"Abby—"

"I'm going with you."

"Abby—"

"Connor Temple, if you argue with me about this—"

"Don't forget your jacket. It's cold out," he finished with a grin. "I know. We do things together. Sorry. I just didn't want to wake you. I know you'd not slept either."

Abby cocked an eyebrow and fixed him in her steely gaze, "You ever going to try to sneak off without me again?"

"No. Sorry."

"You're not alone, Connor. _We're_ not alone."

He dropped his head, the smile vanishing. Abby knew him better than anyone, "I know, but I did this. Just seems like I should be the one to put it right."

"It's okay, Connor. We will."

It was early, but Connor knew for a fact that Philip Burton would be in his lab at New Dawn. The moment that something went awry in that facility, Philip was to be notified. Standard protocol. He also knew that any attempt to speak with the Minister about shutting New Dawn down would be delayed at least a couple of hours. He'd not be disturbed before breakfast for anything short of an apocalypse… and the one he was trying to prevent hadn't started yet. That meant that he and Abby had about an hour.

Getting into New Dawn was easy. He thought that he'd be stopped at the gates or something, but he was waved through. A blanket thrown over the floorboard and a few well placed boxes concealed the additional cargo he was bringing into the facility. It was hardly perfect, but he figured if they let him in then that meant Philip hadn't figured out that Connor had been to blame for wiping his files, and they'd have no reason to suspect him. At least, that's what Connor _hoped_ would happen. He parked the car, then left the doors unlocked with the keys in. He'd shout if he needed help, but convincing Philip was something he'd have to do on his own. He took a deep breath as he stood before the doors to the control center of New Dawn. Best to get to the point quickly. He pushed open the door.

"Connor. What are you doing here?"

"I need to speak with you, Philip. It's important, and we haven't got much time."

"You wouldn't happen to know why every file in my database has been wiped, would you?"

Connor shifted uncomfortably. Philip had this way of asking questions to where you weren't sure if he actually was asking, or if he knew the answer and was trying to trip you up. He decided to dodge the question altogether, "Philip, you have to listen to me. Helen has tricked you. She wants to be rid of the human race, and she's using you to do it."

Philip paused, swiveled in his chair to face Connor, "Don't be ridiculous, Connor. You know that's not true."

"It _is. _And if you don't stop this—"

Philip stood up, "What Connor? What will you do? What more _could_ you do?"

Connor swallowed hard, "We're talking about the end of the world, here. I'm giving you a chance to do the right thing! They'll be coming for you, and if you don't—"

"This is the most important contribution to the human race since electricity, and you think the ravings of a madman are enough to change my mind?"

Connors eyes narrowed. That "madman" was his friend, and Danny deserved better, "No. I thought that hearing it from me would make a difference."

Burton laughed, "I'm afraid not, Connor." Philip smiled at him, and for the first time Connor realized how Philip's smile never reached his eyes, "I have a lot of work to do. Guards. Take him out of here."

Connor lifted his chin, "Don't bother. You're finished. Your files are gone, and I'll not ever tell you how to create an anomaly."

Burton turned to face him once more, "I know exactly what to do, Connor. Your lab is under surveillance. I don't need you at all." He shook his head, "I'm doing a trial run this morning. You could have been a part of something monumental. What a pity."

Connor tried to shake off the two guards that had grabbed hold of him, "Philip, don't do it! You don't know what you're doing!"

"Get him out, and his girlfriend, too," Philip added as another guard opened the door, Abby Maitland in tow. "Hold them until we have an escort from the ARC to take them back and collect their things. They're to surrender all access badges, and their security codes are to be wiped. Oh, and Connor? You're both fired. If either one of you set foot on Prospero, New Dawn, or the ARC, I'll have you arrested."

"Lester will get him shut down," Abby said to him once they reached the car.

They'd been held for a ridiculous amount of time whilst they waited for someone from ARC security to show up. They likely had Jess to thank for that. He was sat in one of the ARC vehicles, waiting on them.

Connor glanced over at the escort and nodded, "Yeah," he said softly, "But he knows how to create them, Abby. I've shown him how. There's not time for all that bureaucracy. According to my calculations, convergence can happen at any moment. The machine is built, and data or no data, if he knows how to get it to work, he can use it to harness the energy of convergence."

"Let's hope that Matt's managed it, then. I think we provided more than enough distraction."

He took her hand in his, "Do ya think Becker got through?"

Abby snorted, "It's _Becker._"

Connor gave a little smile, "Good point." He sighed, "I really thought Philip would listen to me, but he's not like Cutter at all, is he?"

Abby just shook her head, "Come on, Connor. We're meant to meet up with Matt. He'll be waiting on us."

"What about that guy?" Connor asked, pointing at the escort.

Abby smirked, "Philip should have used his own security people. That guy is one of Becker's men. He's with us."

"Right. Okay then," he squared his shoulders and lifted his chin. Abby was right. This wasn't over yet. Matt and Becker were still inside, and if he had to guess, he'd wager that Emily was in there too. She wasn't one to allow herself to be left behind. He and Abby had done their part, even if it wasn't as much of one as he'd like. Lester was probably going to sack him for going against his orders, and convincing everyone else to do the same. It hadn't been easy, but the figures had kept going round in his mind and he couldn't shake the feeling that if they didn't act right away, they were going to be too late. Abby said that they weren't alone. She'd been right. The rest of the team had come around once they realized he'd not be deterred.

Abby climbed in the passenger seat and waited for Connor to join her in the car. His hand was on the door when an explosion rocked the world under his feet and sent him reeling. New Dawn was burning.

"Oh god, Abby. They're in there!" he took off at a dead run, Abby's voice shouting his name behind him.

The ceiling was falling down around him, smoke stung his eyes, and he could hear screaming above the din of the collapsing building. He pulled the collar of his t-shirt up over his nose and mouth to help filter the air and ran for the voices. It was hard to see once he got past the entryway, but he searched the faces of the people running for the exit, hoping to see a familiar face. He squinted his eyes, trying to make out the figure headed straight for him. Dark hair, body armor and a rather large gun… _it could only be…_

"Connor! Is Abby clear?"

Connor gave Becker a quick nod, "What's happened?"

"Not sure. Matt was in, I went in to secure Philip… next thing I know the thing's blown apart. Tried to get in, but the room was blocked off. Trying to find another way around."

Connor nodded, "Let's find them."

He tried not to think about what he might have just done. If Matt had done as he'd instructed him to, the machine should have just fried a coil and some circuit cards at worst. Not _this. Not all this. _He shook it off. He was going to get himself killed if he didn't look after himself and stop worrying about what caused it. They found Emily fairly quickly. Becker was furious because he'd told her she was to stay behind, but she just rolled her eyes. They assured her that they'd find Matt, and asked her to meet up with Abby and radio in for some back-up and medical personnel from the ARC.

They'd about given up hope when they finally found Matt, pinned under a girder. His face was covered in blood from a nasty cut on his cheek, but he was alive.

"You all right?" Connor asked as they came upon him.

"Been better," he replied diffidently, but his face was pale and he was trembling.

"Pretty sure that your arm isn't meant to bend that way," Becker added, gesturing to the arm that had taken the brunt of the weight of the girder when it fell.

"Oh yeah, thanks," Matt answered, "Any time you two would like to get me out of here, that would be great."

Connor and Becker gripped the beam and lifted, but they were only able to budge it a couple of inches. Matt was going to have to shimmy out from underneath. It was going to hurt.

Matt swallowed hard and prepared to move, "This wouldn't be payback for me shooting you is it?"

Becker smirked, "Oh yeah. Stop being a little girl and get out of there. We haven't got all day."

"If you could hurry?" Connor gritted out. He was about to lose his hold.

Matt gave him a quick nod, set his jaw and moved. He cried out as he pulled his injured arm through, but he got out. Connor and Becker both threw an arm around him and headed for an exit.

"Philip… where is Philip?" Connor asked.

Matt shook his head, "Still inside. He wouldn't leave. Kept trying to fix the machine."

"We can't just leave him; I've got to find him," he disengaged from Becker and Matt and raced back inside the building.

"Connor, no. There's not time!" Matt argued. He looked to Becker, "I can make it. Go get him before he throws his life away on that worthless bastard."

Connor didn't have far to go. Philip was with what was left of the anomaly machine. He lay unmoving, bleeding from a large gash on his forehead. He checked him, found him still breathing, and began to drag him out the door. Becker took one look at what he was attempting and moved to help. He'd seen enough death. Deserving or not, he'd not let someone die when he could stop it.

"We are _not_ going back in there," Becker ordered as soon as they cleared the wreckage. A medic hurried over and took charge of Philip. Connor shaded his eyes from the sun and looked for Abby.

"You've convinced me," Connor agreed. He spotted Abby was running towards him, and it was the most welcome sight he thought he'd ever seen.

He swept her up into a fierce hug and held her close.

"Scared me, Connor," she whispered in his ear, so quiet he could hardly hear it.

"Sorry," he kissed her cheek and held her tighter before he let her go, but kept hold of her hand as they made their way over to where Matt was being treated by a medic with Becker and Emily looking on. He had to smile as he saw that Emily was holding Matt's hand.

"Do you think we've done it? You think we've changed the future?" Connor asked Matt.

"I think so," he answered with a weak grin.

Connor looked at the faces of his friends, "Something went wrong."

Abby squeezed his hand, "Something always goes wrong. It's okay, we're safe. We'll sort the rest of it out later, yeah?"

Connor grinned, "Can we go home now, or are we going to prison?"

Abby laughed, a sound he'd not heard nearly enough recently, "We're going _home. _You want to tell me where we live?_"_

"I'll drive."

"It _does _have a garden, doesn't it?" she asked as they made their way back to Connor's car.

"Course it does. I remembered ya said you always fancied having your own garden."

Abby leaned in close again, "Good. Perhaps we can get married there."

* * *

><p><em>Epilogue <em>

* * *

><p>Connor looked down at the pale form on the bed below. It hardly even looked like him, "So Philip… he's?"<p>

"He's in a vegetative state, but he's still holding on. Given enough time, he could recover some large motor function and basic speech. We just don't know."

Connor thanked the doctor and took a seat by the bed. He'd been hurt, angry, betrayed… but he'd never wanted this to happen to him. He lifted his head as the door opened.

"You all right, Connor?" Matt asked as he moved inside the room and sat himself in the other chair.

He nodded, "Fine. Was just… seeing for m'self. How's the arm?"

Matt snorted, "Broken." When Connor barely smiled, he added, "Better, thanks."

They sat in silence for a few moments before Matt broke it. He knew Connor would want to hear an explanation, "He had two of them. Two machines. When the first one failed, he started up the other. It started to come apart, but he refused to shut it down. He kept insisting that he knew how to fix it. Connor, you couldn't have known what would happen."

Connor gave a short laugh, "They must have been sequenced in a parallel circuit. The voltage spike would have destabilized it. He should have shut it down."

Philip nodded, "He couldn't admit that it was beyond his control. I'm sorry, Connor. I tried to drag him out, but the roof started falling in."

Connor nodded, "Tell Abby I'll be back in a little while, yeah?"

"We have a meeting with Lester in twenty minutes," he said, turning to leave.

Connor sighed. He hoped he still had a job.

Matt's mobile rang before he was able to make it out the door, and from the expression on his face, Connor knew it was important.

"Put in your earpiece, Connor. Convergence is happening now. Anomalies are popping up everywhere, all over the world, and they need everyone. They're even calling in the teams on holiday. We've got work to do."

Connor spared a last glance at Philip, and then fitted his earpiece in his ear and hurried out the door. It looked as if he still had a job.

**END**

**A/N: Really hope that you liked this! It certainly took on a life of its own. Thanks for reading, and please tell me what you thought.**


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